The U.S. Air Force (USAF) has awarded Raytheon a 5-year, $197 million contract to help the department modernize the missile warning architecture with a new system that will collect and fuse data from multiple sensors to provide a comprehensive picture of launch activity, the company announced on Tuesday.
“The U.S. government’s global satellite network produces a constant flood of data — petabytes and petabytes of it every day,” said Dave Wajsgras, six time Wash100 Award recipient and president of Raytheon Intelligence, Information and Services (IIS). “The Air Force wants to open that network up so they can use as much of that data as possible. That’s a huge transformation not just for the service, but for the whole government.”
Raytheon IIS has developed a new, open framework, called the Future Operationally Resilient Ground Evolution (FORGE) Mission Data Processing Application Framework (MDPAF). The framework will provide advanced processing capabilities to USAF’s network programs.
The company will specifically focus on Overhead Persistent Infrared (OPIR) satellite data from both USAF’s evolving Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) constellation and the future Next Gen OPIR constellation, as well as the processing of data from other civil and environmental sensors.
FORGE will provide more advanced operations compared to satellite ground control programs. Instead of collecting and analyzing data from specific types of satellites or sensors, FORGE is able to collect data from nearly any type of satellite or sensor, and then helps operators make sense of that data quickly.
Additionally, FORGE is capable of processing real data. Raytheon has incorporated its deep experience developing applications using DevSecOps and Agile software development processes to dramatically speed development.
“Essentially, this is a smartphone model,” said Wajsgras. “We’ve built an operating system that everyone can build applications for – from Raytheon to the Air Force to universities to small companies. These applications allow the system to process specific types of data.”
About Raytheon
Raytheon Company, with 2018 sales of $27 billion and 67,000 employees, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, civil government and cybersecurity solutions. With a history of innovation spanning 97 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration, C5I™ products and services, sensing, effects and mission support for customers in more than 80 countries. Raytheon is headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts.
